Let the Benefits Begin!

The summer benefit season is in full swing and residents are enjoying parties galore while supporting their favorite charities and organizations.
If the walls are bare or need a change, the ArtHamptons preview party next Thursday from 5:30 to 7 p.m. might be of help. Guests can purchase artwork offered by 75 galleries from around the world at Nova’s Ark in Bridgehampton during a cocktail reception to benefit the LongHouse Reserve in East Hampton. Admission donations are $125.
White, black, and yellow attire will be the order of the night at LongHouse’s on-site benefit on July 21. Guests will enjoy cocktails, dinner, and an auction from 6 to 10 p.m. The event will include a performance by Philip Glass, and a special toast to Jack Lenor Larsen, the textile maven and founder of the museum, to celebrate his 85th birthday. Cocktail tickets alone cost $350; tickets for the entire evening start at $750 and can be purchased at longhouse.org.
Classical piano enthusiasts can attend a Pianofest benefit on July 14 from 5 to 7:30 p.m. at the Southampton Historical Museum. Tickets, at $200, are available through pianofest.com.
A must-do for photography lovers on July 14 is the Parrish Museum’s Midsummer Party in the arboretum of the museum, perhaps the last to be held there before the Parrish opens its new facility in Water Mill. The evening will begin at 6:30 with cocktails and a viewing of “The Landmarks of New York” and “Liminal Ground: Adam Bartos Long Island Photographs, 2009-2011.” Dinner, dancing, and dessert will follow. Tickets, at parrishart.org, start at $1,000; after 10 tickets cost $200 per person.
The Watermill Center’s summer benefit, called The Big Bang, will take place on July 28. Beginning at 6 p.m., it will feature performances, cocktails, a silent auction, and an exhibition of works in tribute to Mike Kelley. Dinner, dancing, and a live auction will begin at 8 p.m. Dinner tickets start at $1,000; cocktail tickets cost $500, available at watermillcenter.org/benefit.
A few Guild Hall benefit tickets are still available for “An Evening with Patti Lupone and Mandy Patinkin” on Saturday. Cocktails will be served at 5 p.m. at the Elie Tahari store, 1 Main Street, East Hampton, followed by a 7 p.m. performance by the two Tony Award-winners and a post-performance dinner at a private Main Street residence, beginning at 8:30. E-mail ckaller@guild­hall.org to purchase tickets.
The Bay Street Theatre’s Rock the Dock! event begins at 6:30 p.m. on July 21 with cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, and a silent auction. A live performance by the Tony Award-winner Lillias White will be followed by dancing and a live auction, including trips to St. Barts and Costa Rica, tickets and backstage tours to hit Broadway shows, and more. A $100 raffle ticket will buy a chance to win a 2012 Mini-Cooper convertible. Tickets, which start at $550 and help support the theater’s yearlong programming, can be bought by e-mailing events@baystreet.org.
Edward Zwick, known for his films about difficult moral, social, and racial issues, will co-host the first Alexander Soros Foundation fund-raising event, to be held on Saturday. Cocktails will begin at 6:30 p.m. at Fairview Farm in Bridgehampton, with dinner at 8 and entertainment by MC Hammer. The evening will raise money for Global Witness, an activist and advocacy organization tackling the root causes of global injustice and instability. Ashley@reputation-communications.com is handling tickets, which start at $1,000.
Love Heals, the annual benefit for the Alison Gertz Foundation for AIDS Education, will be held on Saturday from 7:30 to 11 p.m. Guests will enjoy dancing and a barbecue at Luna Farm in Sagaponack. Tickets start at $250 and can be purchased at loveheals.org.
Saturday is also the day of the Rally for Kids With Cancer benefit, to be held from 4 to 7 p.m. at a private residence in Water Mill. The evening includes a private polo match, cocktail party, and silent auction. Tickets start at $100 and can be had by calling Talent Resources, 212-725-1005.
Shopaholics will enjoy the annual Super Saturday sale on July 28 from 1 to 6 p.m. at Nova’s Ark, benefiting the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund and including fine dining and a children’s carnival. Tickets, available at ocrf.org, start at $450 for adults, $150 for children ages 5 to 16. Children under 5 are free.
A family fireworks show and barbecue to benefit the Max Cure Foundation and Fundacion Amistad will be held on July 21, with tickets starting at $225; children’s tickets are $50. Tickets can be purchased at maxcurefoundation. com.
The annual Heat benefit is July 28. The evening will feature live music, mixologists, and celebrity chefs cooking up their signature creations. Benefiting Southampton Hospital’s Ellen Hermanson Breast Cancer Center, the Ellen Hermanson Foundation, and Ellen’s Well, the event will be held from 7 to 10 p.m. at a private residence on Mecox Bay. Tickets start at $300; junior tickets (35 and under) are $200. Tickets are available by calling 212-840-0916.
The Sag Harbor Historical Society will benefit from a July 14 event at the Custom House in that village. The evening begins at 6 and will include a cocktail buffet, seafood bar, live jazz, and a silent auction. Tickets, at $150, can be purchased by e-mailing sagharborhist@gmail.com.
On Saturday, the Southampton Historical Museum hosts a benefit there to support its education programs. The 6 to 8 p.m. event will offer cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, music, and a silent auction. Tickets are $125 in advance, $150 at the door; they can be purchased through southamptonhistoricalmuseum.org.
The East Hampton Historical Society’s first antiques show of the season will start with a benefit preview on July 20, from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at the Mulford Farm on James Lane. Tickets start at $150, $100 for juniors (40 and under) and can be purchased at easthamptonhistory.org.
Animal lovers can enjoy the South­ampton Animal Shelter’s benefit called Unconditional Love on July 21. Held at a private residence in Southampton, the evening begins at 7 with cocktails, dinner, and dancing until 11. Tickets, available at southamptonanimalshelter.com, start at $500.
Poker players may already be preparing for the Hamptons Poker Championship, slated for July 21 at the American Legion Hall in Amagansett. The doors will open at 6:30 p.m. and the Texas Hold ’Em tournament begins at 8. Tickets cost $300 and include the tournament, a light dinner, and open bar. The evening benefits Fighting Chance, a free cancer-counseling center. HamptonsPokerChampionship.com is the place to go for tickets.
Foodies who want to pep up their palates can attend the Chef’s Dinner at the Hayground School in Bridgehampton on July 28 at 5:30 p.m. There will be tastings, live music, and a silent art auction to benefit the school’s Jeff’s Kitchen and the Jeff Salaway Scholarship Fund. Tickets for tastings and cocktails cost $150, $35 for children under 12. Tickets for dinner in Jeff’s Kitchen, including the cocktail party, are $750. Limited seating for Chef’s Tables starts at $1,500. Tickets can be purchased at thechefsdinner.org.
Finally, there’s a family fair, fun for everyone, at the Children’s Museum of the East End on July 21, with activities for all, beginning at 10:30 a.m. Tickets in advance are $100 per child, $150 per adult, and can be purchased at cmee.org.
It shouldn’t be a problem to stay busy supporting worthy organizations this month, and August is yet to come.